Canadian Crossing

2024 CFL Week 5 preview

We are running the CFL preview a day early for our American readers who might not check in on July 4.

The Toronto Argonauts finally go on the road and make their way to Regina to take on the Saskatchewan Roughriders. AJ Ouellette welcomes his old club to his new club. Hopefully, they will play the U.S. anthem for the American players.

Ottawa gets both games with Winnipeg out of the way early in the season. Dru Brown returns to Winnipeg, where we hope Brown gets a nice reaction on Friday night.

We are excited to get the Philpot reunion in La Belle Province on Saturday. Jalen was injured for Calgary while Tyson had a great season in Montréal. Maybe they will celebrate with some pre-game poutine for energy.

There may be more fans in Calgary taping the game to watch later since the Calgary Stampede will be underway on Saturday. The Stampeders (where they get the name) usually hit the road during the Calgary Stampede.

The BC Lions have been wary in playing in southern Ontario though Hamilton is a much different destination than Toronto. Cat fans love the battle of Lions versus Tiger-Cats. The Sunday night game finishes up the CFL weekend.

CBS Sports Network avoids the U.S. holiday and will have the weekend games in the States.

The Americans on the Edmonton squad get to celebrate the U.S. holiday while not playing football.

CBS Sports Network

Saturday
Calgary @ Montréal, 7p
Sunday
BC @ Hamilton, 7p

TSN

Thursday
Toronto @ Saskatchewan, 9p
Friday
Ottawa @ Winnipeg, 8:30p
Saturday
Calgary @ Montréal, 7p
Sunday
BC @ Hamilton, 7p

Bye week: Edmonton

Three of the four @CFL games this weekend ended with walk off game winning field goals!

I had the honour to call two of them. pic.twitter.com/ledcYxN8Vn

— Dustin Nielson (@nielsonTSN1260) July 1, 2024

We would like to see some streaks come to an end in 2024. The terrible home losing streaks for Edmonton and Ottawa were snapped in 2023.

Toronto managed to do 2 things on Friday that the Argos didn't do in 2023: lose at home and lose to a division opponent.

We knew of Ottawa's lack of dominance within its own division. The RedBlacks hadn't defeated Hamilton anywhere since the 2018 East Division final. Ottawa hadn't beaten a divisional opponent in the regular season at TD Place since 2018. The RedBlacks broke both those streaks against the winless Hamilton Tiger-Cats.

The Winnipeg-Calgary game at McMahon Stadium made the crowd wait until late to get actual touchdowns. Hamilton and Ottawa started out with touchdowns and they didn't go back to that until late in the 4th quarter.

Chris Streveler had to come off the bench for the Blue Bombers and do something he hadn't done since returning to the league: throw a pass. Streveler kept his team in the game, even forcing overtime. Demerio Houston, formerly of Winnipeg, intercepted Streveler in the end zone in overtime.

That game in Calgary was the first overtime game of the season in the CFL. Calgary hadn't defeated Winnipeg since the final game of the 2021 season, which was 6 straight losses.

The Alouettes have won 11 in a row, including the postseason. The Lions have won 8 straight games over the Elks, though this one was as close to an Edmonton win as we have had since 2021. The Lions outscored the Elks 265-82 in their previous 7 meetings.

Edmonton plays close games but hasn't learned the killer instinct at the end of the game. The Elks went for 2 late and failed while the Lions went for 2 late and succeeded, though not in the first try.

Sergio Castillo for Winnipeg kicked a 60-yard field goal, second longest in CFL history.

2024 CFL Week 4 preview

2024 CFL Week 3 preview

Saskatchewan, undefeated (along with Montréal), placed its quarterback Trevor Harris on the 6-game injured list. The move is labelled as precautionary though Shea Patterson becomes the #1 behind centre for quite awhile.

Harris has a “moderate” MCL sprain of his left knee, according to Saskatchewan coach Corey Mace. His injury last year was a tibial plateau fracture on his right leg.

Fun fact: Harris was the Ottawa QB the last time the RedBlacks defeated Hamilton.

Ottawa was thankful in a lot of ways to get the win Sunday night with the Canada Day fireworks in the background. The RedBlacks play teams in the West Division all summer. The next East opponent is Toronto on September 7. The RedBlacks will be in Victoria (Touchdown Pacific) before playing an opponent in their division.

Hamilton, Winnipeg, and Edmonton are all winless. The Elks were good at destructive penalties down the stretch. The Tiger-Cats had the lead for a lot of the game in Ottawa. The Blue Bombers might have handled the Stampeders if Zach Collaros had stayed healthy.

The season is not over for any of those teams. Ask us in a couple of weeks.

2024 CFL Week 2 preview

2024 CFL Week 1 preview: Opening week

2024 CFL preview

I know most of you hate this rule. It’s alright. You’re wrong…. But… ATTN: defensive coordinators. If your team isn’t prepared for it, that’s on you. Not the rule. #LongLiveTheDribbleKick pic.twitter.com/zgiIjUqKod

— Jamie Nye (@jamienye) June 29, 2024

We like the CFL because everything applies equally across the board as opposed to the NHL, where certain teams can beat up opponents, unlike other teams. The Montréal Alouettes are not the only team that can implement this "trick play." The Alouettes used this play against their main rival in the Argonauts on their home field. Even Chris Jones in Edmonton can use this play. Just remember that the first time in recent memory that the Alouettes tried the play, it didn't work.

2024 CFL preseason schedule

CanadianCrossing.com CFL coverage

Edmonton @ BC: Dustin Nielson/Glen Suitor/Shantelle Chand
Montréal @ Toronto: Marshall Ferguson/Duane Forde/Kenzie Lalonde
Winnipeg @ Calgary: Dustin Nielson/Glen Suitor/Paul LaPolice
Hamilton @ Ottawa: Rod Smith/Matt Dunigan/Claire Hanna

We are doing a new format with the announcer teams to reduce word count. You might recall that Shantelle Chand made her CFL on TSN debut in the preseason. Chand is filling the role Blake Price had done in recent seasons to back up Farhan Lalji in Vancouver.

Having Paul LaPolice in for Matthew Scianitti on the sidelines in Toronto was "cute" but TSN is digging its heels on using LaPolice on the sidelines. The sideline reporters have a journalism background that helps when asking about an injury or circumstances on the sidelines. LaPolice does okay with asking questions of the players but that is only part of what a sideline reporter does. TSN doesn't have anyone based in Calgary, which could be solved by having someone.

The Sunday night experiment continues with Kate Beirness and only 2 panelists. This might just be a summer thing yet given that this is 1 of the 2 games on CBS Sports Network, this is not a good look.

logo credit: CFL
Twitter captures: @nielsonTSN1260; @jamienye
photo credit: TSN/CFL

2024 CFL Week 4 preview

This might be as close as Edmonton will get to the 2024 Grey Cup by traveling to Vancouver to face the Lions. The Elks suffered a 22-0 shutout in Edmonton's only 2023 trip to the West Coast. This starts the week on Thursday night.

The 2023 East final rematch is the Friday Night Football game as the Montréal Alouettes come to BMO Field in Toronto, home of that division final. The Argos surprisingly start out 2024 with 3 home games in a row.

Winnipeg is looking for its first win of the season in Calgary in the Saturday night contest. The Stampeders have not defeated the Blue Bombers since a home win on the final week of the 2021 regular season.

The Sunday battle of Hamilton at Ottawa is more a battle of the bottom of the East Division. The clash would have been the Jeremiah Masoli bowl game if Masoli was healthy enough.

CBS Sports Network has the weekend games in the States.

This marks the first CFL weekend full of division games. The balanced schedule means fewer division games since every team plays the others home and away.

Saskatchewan gets time to enjoy its perfect 3-0 record with Saskatoon berry pies where the crust is made of lard.

CBS Sports Network

Saturday
Winnipeg @ Calgary, 7p
Sunday
Hamilton @ Ottawa, 7p

TSN

Thursday
Edmonton @ BC, 10p
Friday
Montréal @ Toronto, 7:30p
Saturday
Winnipeg @ Calgary, 7p
Sunday
Hamilton @ Ottawa, 7p

Bye week: Saskatchewan

Was it love at first sight for this Bombers fangirl tonight? 😍 #CFL pic.twitter.com/IIz7DarZQp

— Rider fan (@GreyCupBound) June 22, 2024

The CFL is very proud that 7 of the first 8 games of the season were decided in the final 3 minutes. The home opener in Montréal, complete with the unveiling of the Grey Cup champion banner, would not be one of them.

The Alouettes led the Ottawa RedBlacks 30-1 at halftime. Cody Fajardo ended up 28-for-35 for 393 yards and 3 TD passes: 2 to Reggie White Jr. and one to Tyson Philpot.

DeVonte Dedmon’s 101-yard kickoff return was the major highlight for Ottawa.

IS THIS THE DAGGER?!@ahollins13 HAVE A DAY 🫡#CFLGameday on TSN & RDS
📲: Stream on CFL+ pic.twitter.com/GjwzVCNPy7

— CFL (@CFL) June 22, 2024

BC and Winnipeg struggled in the first half. The Lions should have scored more points than they did. The Blue Bombers almost put up a late TD at the end of the first half, passing up a safe field goal. The lead changes in the second half were exciting. The Lions had the edge and came out with the 2-point win.

The Blue Bombers are 0-3, 0-2 at home. Winnipeg is only 0-1 in the division. Seeing this game reminded us that the road to the West Division may not go through Winnipeg but indeed Vancouver and possibly Regina.

Zach Collaros has no TD passes so far. This is a true statistic though given that Chris Streveler plunges for TDs, this isn't as bad as it sounds. Still, the Blue Bombers offence is sputtering.

Nice to see Winnipeg honouring Andrew Harris, who started with the BC Lions and excelled with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. The joy of bringing Harris in the beginning was that he was from Winnipeg and good.

2024 CFL Week 3 preview

2024 CFL Week 2 preview

2024 CFL Week 1 preview: Opening week

2024 CFL preview

Edmonton in Toronto felt like homecoming, given all of the former Argos up north these days. Felt bad for Boris Bede, who was likely hoping to kick a winning field goal at BMO Field. Turns out the Elks didn't try a single field goal while Lirim Hajrullahu, the kicker the Argos signed while releasing Bede, did kick the winning field goal.

The Elks and Tiger-Cats both have struggled with the act of winning a game, a close one where a little bit more effort is needed. In this sense, the Elks are way ahead of the Tiger-Cats. Chris Jones might have a decision to make: play Tre Ford in some fashion or lose his job. You get the impression Jones would rather get fired than play Ford.

Imagine if Edmonton used Ford like Winnipeg does with Chris Streveler. Jones will never do so, even to keep his job.

2024 CFL preseason schedule

The backup quarterback battle in Saskatchewan was notable as Shea Patterson beat out Mason Fine. Normally that wouldn't matter too much but Trevor Harris suffered a significant knee injury in 2023. Harris hurt the other knee (left) and didn't return in Regina Sunday night. Patterson did okay but the offence slowed down.

The Roughriders have a bye and don't need to talk about Harris and his health. Not yet at least.

The kickers forced changed in the #CFL with chips in footballs.

But it came at a cost.

Sergio Castillo, Brett Lauther, Sean Whyte and Lewis Ward all fined for violating the CFL Code of Conduct/Social media policy.

— Jamie Nye (@jamienye) June 21, 2024

Your humble narrator was happy that the CFL kickers stepped up about the concern over the chips in the footballs. Turns out that the concern cost the kickers money in fines.

The CFL fined Winnipeg Blue Bombers kicker Sergio Castillo for violating the league’s Code of Conduct while the league handed out fines to Brett Lauther (Saskatchewan), Lewis Ward (Ottawa), and Sean Whyte (BC) for violating the CFL Social Media Policy.

Ottawa punter Richie Leone was also critical comments about the chipped footballs on social media yet received no fine. Maybe because he was a punter and not a kicker??

The response from CFL Commissioner Randy Ambrosie was about as terrible as one can imagine. 

Are we witnessing the best collection of #CanadianReceivers in @cfl history? As of right now there are 4 Canadian receivers in the top 10 and 9 in the top 20. When the season ends how many will be in the top 20 and top 10? @CFLonTSN @cfl #PaperPlates pic.twitter.com/TrzO5gpcJY

— Milt Stegall (@MiltStegallTSN) June 25, 2024

We have given love for Canadian quarterbacks when they get a chance to play. Why not love for Canadian receivers? They know the rules and nuances of the game, from 1 foot in bounds to the wider fields. They even know the rules, as opposed to the American receiver CJ Sims for Edmonton who didn't return the ball out of the end zone late in the game, giving Saskatchewan the win.

The CFL’s first-ever augmented live streams are coming to TSN+, powered by @GeniusSports.

The all-new enhanced data feed is available all season long.

🗞️: https://t.co/32M1ENGypk | #CFL pic.twitter.com/HfPAMxQyid

— CFL (@CFL) June 18, 2024

My expectations are showing penalties that are called and better angles on borderline plays. TSN is offering an enhanced data feed for its viewers, but only on TSN+.

The CFL uniforms have a few advertisers these days. The Montréal situation is a bit more unusual. The 2 sponsor patches on the Alouettes uniforms are both companies under the tutelage of Pierre Karl Péladeau, the relatively new owner of the Montréal Alouettes.

Even more unusual is that TVA Sports is the rival of RDS, the French-language outlet that does the CFL rights. There likely isn't a rule against this. RDS carries all the Alouettes and Ottawa RedBlacks games among others in the CFL package. RDS running inadvertent sponsorships for its primary rival is not what the company would want.

The Montréal Alouettes drew a sellout crowd of 23,035 fans for the 2024 home opener with the unveiling of the Grey Cup championship.

3 Down Nation has an intriguing article on Péladeau and the possibility of a new home for the Alouettes. The capacity has been in flux, going from 20,202 to 25,012 in 2010 but then back to 23,000 soon afterward.

The issue is more the lack of amenities at Percival Molson Stadium. I've sat on those bleachers and they aren't terribly comfortable. The location is ideal and it's not like the team is going back to Stade Olympique any time soon.

CanadianCrossing.com CFL coverage

Marshall Ferguson made his 2024 CFL on TSN debut with Duane Forde with Kenzie Lalonde for the Grey Cup banner unveiling in Montréal on Thursday.

Dustin Nielson and Glen Suitor with John Lu were in Winnipeg for the rematch of the West final on Friday night.

Rod Smith and Forde stayed in Toronto Saturday night with Paul LaPolice again on the sidelines. Smith and Suitor with Brit Dort were in Regina on Sunday night for the Tiger-Cats and Roughriders rematch.

Matt Dunigan had the week off as Jim Barker filled in for Dunigan on the panel. The pattern so far is that the Sunday game only has 3 people on the panel. This feels deliberate and we are reluctant to believe in coincidences. Cost cutting is the obvious reason but these moves seem so petty.

logo credit: CFL
Twitter capture: @GreyCupBound; @CFL; @jamienye; @MiltStegallTSN; @CFL
photo credit: TSN/CFL

2024 NHL Stanley Cup playoffs scoreboard

Stanley Cup Final

(2) Edmonton vs. (1) Florida Florida win series 4-3
Date	Matchup	Time	U.S. TV	Cdn TV
June 8	Florida 3, Edmonton 0	8p	ABC	CBC
June 10	Florida 4, Edmonton 1	8p	ABC	CBC
June 13	Florida 4, Edmonton 3	8p	ABC	CBC
June 15	Edmonton 8, Florida 1	8p	ABC	CBC
June 18	Edmonton 5, Florida 3	8p	ABC	CBC
June 21	Edmonton 5, Florida 1	8p	ABC	CBC
June 24	Florida 2, Edmonton 1	8p	ABC	CBC

 

2024 Stanley Cup notebook: Edmonton plays Florida for the Stanley Cup

 

Western Conference

(2) Edmonton vs. (1) Dallas Edmonton wins series 4-2
Date	Matchup	Time	U.S. TV	Cdn TV
May 23	Edmonton 3, Dallas 2 (2 OT)	8:30p	TNT	CBC
May 25	Dallas 3, Edmonton 1	8p	TNT	CBC
May 27	Dallas 5, Edmonton 3	8:30p	TNT	CBC
May 29	Edmonton 5, Dallas 2	8:30p	TNT	CBC
May 31	Edmonton 3, Dallas 1	8:30p	TNT	SN
June 2	Edmonton 2, Dallas 1	8p	TNT	SN

 

2024 Stanley Cup notebook: Edmonton defeats Vancouver in Game 7

2024 Stanley Cup notebook: Vancouver plays Edmonton in the second round

 

(1) Vancouver vs. (2) Edmonton Edmonton wins series 4-3
Date	Matchup	Time	U.S. TV	Cdn TV
May 8	Vancouver 5, Edmonton 4	10p	ESPN	CBC
May 10	Edmonton 4, Vancouver 3 (OT)	10p	TNT	CBC
May 12	Vancouver 4, Edmonton 3	9:30p	TBS	SN
May 14	Edmonton 3, Vancouver 2	9:30p	ESPN	CBC
May 16	Vancouver 3, Edmonton 2	10p	TNT	CBC
May 18	Edmonton 5, Vancouver 1	8p	ESPN	CBC
May 20	Edmonton 3, Vancouver 2	9p	ESPN	CBC

 

2024 NHL Stanley Cup playoffs preview for Canadian teams

 

 

(1) Vancouver vs. (WC) Nashville Vancouver wins series 4-2
Date	Matchup	Time	U.S. TV	Cdn TV
April 21	Vancouver 4, Nashville 2	10p	ESPN	CBC
April 23	Nashville 4, Vancouver 1	10p	ESPN2	SN
April 26	Vancouver 2, Nashville 1	7:30p	TBS	SN
April 28	Vancouver 4, Nashville 3 (OT)	5p	TBS	SN
April 30	Nashville 2, Vancouver 1	10p	TBS	SN
May 3	Vancouver 1, Nashville 0	7p	TNT	CBC

 

Bob Cole, the legend from The Rock, has died at the age of 90

PWHL sets another new attendance record for women's hockey

NHL the month in preview April 2024

 

(2) Edmonton vs. (3) Los Angeles Edmonton wins series 4-1
Date	Matchup	Time	U.S. TV	Cdn TV
April 22	Edmonton 7, Los Angeles 4	10p	ESPN2	CBC
April 24	Los Angeles 5, Edmonton 4 (OT)	10p	TBS	CBC
April 26	Edmonton 6, Los Angeles 1	10:30p	TBS	SN
April 28	Edmonton 1, Los Angeles 0	10:30p	TBS	SN
May 1	Edmonton 4, Los Angeles 3	10p	ESPN	CBC

 

NHL Network, TNT, and ESPN/ESPN+ games in 2024 season analysis

NHL notebook: Wrapping up the end of the 2024 regular season

 

(2) Winnipeg vs. (3) Colorado Colorado wins series 4-1
Date	Matchup	Time	U.S. TV	Cdn TV
April 21	Winnipeg 7, Colorado 6	7p	ESPN2	CBC
April 23	Colorado 5, Winnipeg 2	9:30p	ESPN	CBC
April 26	Colorado 6, Winnipeg 2	10p	TNT	CBC
April 28	Colorado 5, Winnipeg 1	2:30p	TNT	SN
April 30	Colorado 6, Winnipeg 3	9:30p	ESPN	CBC

 

CanadianCrossing.com NHL coverage

 

Eastern Conference

(3) Toronto vs. (2) Boston Boston wins series 4-3
Date	Matchup	Time	U.S. TV	Cdn TV
April 20	Boston 5, Toronto 1	8p	TBS	CBC
April 22	Toronto 3, Boston 2	7p	ESPN	CBC
April 24	Boston 4, Toronto 2	7p	ESPN	CBC
April 27	Boston 3, Toronto 1	8p	TBS	CBC
April 30	Toronto 2, Boston 1 (OT)	7p	ESPN	CBC
May 2	Toronto 2, Boston 1	8p	TBS	CBC
May 4	Boston 2, Toronto 1 (OT)	8p	ABC	CBC

 

+ if necessary // All times Eastern Daylight.

photos credit: NHL

2024 CFL Week 3 preview

The Highway 417 rivalry makes its 2024 debut at the Alouettes home opener in Montréal on Thursday. The RedBlacks' first road trip of the year is the shortest for the team. Both teams are undefeated, though Ottawa only have played a single game.

The best CFL matchup starts out on Friday Night Football as the BC Lions travel to Winnipeg. We didn't think this would be a 1-1 versus a 0-2 matchup.

McLeod Bethel-Thompson goes back to Toronto as the Edmonton Elks make their way to BMO Field on Saturday night.

The Tiger-Cats and Roughriders are getting too used to each other as the teams play each other again. Hamilton wants a road win after the tough loss at home. This time, Hamilton travels to Regina to take on Saskatchewan on Sunday night.

A 2024 CFL phrase we will use often before Labour Day: CBS Sports Network has the weekend games in the States.

Calgary gets to relax after a frustrating road loss to Vancouver.

CBS Sports Network

Saturday
Edmonton @ Toronto, 7p
Sunday
Hamilton @ Saskatchewan, 7p

TSN

Thursday
Ottawa @ Montréal, 7:30p
Friday
BC @ Winnipeg, 8:30p
Saturday
Edmonton @ Toronto, 7p
Sunday
Hamilton @ Saskatchewan, 7p

Bye week: Calgary

We did it BC! Tonight's game is officially 🚨 SOLD OUT! 🚨

53,788 is a new club attendance record for a home opener! 🔥

“This will go down as a great day for our franchise and the perfect way to begin our special 70th season for the Lions"

➡️ MORE: https://t.co/4CnFLFjstY pic.twitter.com/Xo1uKK9iFv

— BC LIONS (@BCLions) June 15, 2024

The BC Lions set a home opener attendance record with 53,788. 50 Cent made a stronger impression than One Republic (34,000 in 2022) and LL Cool J (33,000 in 2023). The CFL on TSN panel were on the sidelines in Vancouver.

Vernon Adams Jr. needed to adjust to a blitzing Calgary defence. The Lions scored the final 12 points of the game. Jake Maier connected with a beautiful TD catch to Reggie Begelton with 9:00 left in the 3rd quarter. The Stampeders stumbled down the stretch in the 4th quarter, including a missed 3rd-and-6 conversion and a fumble after a remarkable catch.

The previous BC Lions home opener attendance record was 43,501 fans on July 6, 1984. BC Place opened in 1983.

2024 CFL Week 2 preview

Dru Brown debuted his Ottawa career against his old team and the game didn't disappoint. The rain delay with 2:09 left in the 4th quarter reminded your humble narrator of the rain delay in Game 7 of the 2016 World Series that the Chicago Cubs won.

The Ottawa defence made the difference in the game, especially with Damon Webb knocking down a potential touchdown pass.

We like Khari Jones but Tommy Condell's offence with Brown at the controls looked stronger than recent Ottawa squads. Neither team played well to win but the RedBlacks won a game the team would have lost in the recent past.

The delay fell just short of the 1-hour mark, which would have ended the game with the same score. CFL+ stayed with the TSN feed during the lightning delay.

The Winnipeg Blue Bombers, which also lost in Ottawa in 2023, is now 0-2 for the first time since 2016.

There’s 2:09mins left on the clock, Redblacks are up 23-17 against the Bombers, and there are some diehard fans still in the stands here at TD place when the game resumes at 11:15pm. #cfl pic.twitter.com/vhyzlqtItG

— Claire Hanna (@clahanna) June 14, 2024

Walter Fletcher ran for 2 long touchdowns for Montréal as the Alouettes went 2-0 out west on the road. Fletcher caught a short pass and went 46 yards for a major late in the 2nd quarter and a 39-yard run in the 4th quarter.

The Edmonton Elks did well enough to be close but not enough to win. Elks fans are likely even more frustrated because Edmonton is 0-2 in its first 2 home games. The Elks went 2-2 at home after the team finally snapped the North American professional sports record of 21 straight home losses. Edmonton has a current 4-game home losing streak dating back to 2023.

2024 CFL Week 1 preview: Opening week

2024 CFL preview

Saskatchewan is atop the West Division as the only 2-0 team. The Roughriders have a different kind of comeback at Tim Hortons Field with 10 points in the final minute. A game-tying touchdown was followed by a tipped interception and a Brett Lauther field goal.

Bo Levi Mitchell looked good in a losing cause, going 27 for 38 for 380 yards with 3 touchdown and a costly interception at the end.

What an electric atmosphere inside and outside of @RogersPlace last night! I had a blast performing for y’all and then getting to cheer on the boys - Okay, so you’re the @EdmontonOilers? that DOES impress me much!! 😍❤️ pic.twitter.com/eZvVAojEvV

— Shania Twain 💎💎💎 (@ShaniaTwain) June 16, 2024

Edmonton had great outdoor concerts on the days opposite the Friday Elks home game. Our Lady of Peace played Thursday and Shania Twain played Saturday outside Rogers Place for the Edmonton Oilers time in the Stanley Cup Final.

The old Oilers home used to be at the Coliseum stop on the Blue Line, northeast of downtown. The Commonwealth Stadium stop is Stadium, one stop closer to downtown. Now Rogers Place is near the MacEwan stop on the Red Line (change at Churchill to get to the Red Line).

The Elks need to do something — winning will help — along the lines of what the BC Lions have been doing. Chris Jones really didn't want to play Tre Ford in 2023 until he had no choice. McLeod Bethel-Thompson is not Taylor Cornelius but how much patience will Edmonton management have in 2024?

Montreal makes it 8 in winning the 2023 Grey Cup

The Hamilton Tiger-Cats celebrated the 25th anniversary of the last Grey Cup win in 1999. Orlondo Steinauer, president of football operations and 2023 head coach, was a member of that Grey Cup winning team. The Tiger-Cats are the only CFL team to have its last Grey Cup win on CBC.

Marc Mueller, the new Saskatchewan offensive coordinator, is also the grandson of Ron Lancaster, Roughriders legend and Hamilton coach in 1999. Mueller held a number of posts, including water boy. That likely isn't enough to get your name on the Grey Cup but he was a part of things for that team.

2024 CFL preseason schedule

Claire Hanna had a lovely story about the Ottawa RedBlacks team-building activities during the bye week. They watched the CFL season opener from TD Place. Then the team went bowling. Hanna noted that the American players were a bit confused by 5-pin bowling as opposed to the 10-pin bowling. Somehow, bagged milk would make more sense to the American players than 5-pin bowling.

I will not bore you by going into the difference. I knew vaguely that 5-pin bowling exists but didn't realize the significance with Canada. Proves that even if you think you know a lot about Canada, you don't know everything.

The RedBlacks game didn't run on the CBS Sports Network, a channel obsessed with 10-pin bowling these days.

Running Back Relentless is a new documentary about Andrew Harris and his final season with Toronto (last year) as well as his life story. Harris played for BC, Winnipeg, and Toronto in his illustrious CFL career. Jon Cornish and later Harris were the epitome of Canadian running backs.

The film had a red carpet premiere last Friday in Toronto. The Canadian film, produced by Upper Canada Films, is available on Apple TV, Amazon Prime Video, and Google Play as of today.

CanadianCrossing.com CFL coverage

Rod Smith and Matt Dunigan sat through the rain delay coverage and the game in Ottawa on Thursday night. Claire Hanna was on the sidelines.

Dustin Nielson and Duane Forde hung out in Edmonton Friday night with Tom Gazzola. Ryan Rishaug has been distracted with the Edmonton Oilers.

Nielson and Glen Suitor with Farhan Lalji got a free 50 Cent concert in Vancouver on Saturday.

Smith and Duane Forde with Hanna spent Sunday night in Hamilton.

logo credit: CFL
Twitter capture: @BCLions; @clahanna; @ShaniaTwain
video credit: Upper Canada Films

2024 CFL Week 2 preview

The Ottawa RedBlacks finally get its 2024 season underway with former Winnipeg quarterback Dru Brown welcoming his old team to TD Place on Thursday. The RedBlacks were significantly better at home in 2023 than in recent seasons.

The Blue Bombers will be without running back Brady Oliveira in the short run and Kenny Lawler in the long run.

The Edmonton Elks get a second straight home game with Montréal going very far north on Friday night. The Alouettes hopefully stayed out west after a successful trip to Winnipeg to start the season.

BC starts its home season with the Calgary Stampeders in Vancouver. The Lions are hoping to play the final game of the season at home (2024 Grey Cup). Calgary has a lot to prove and success inside the dome will help. Oh, and I hear there is a concert. CBS Sports Network has this Saturday game in the States.

Saskatchewan stays on the road with a trip to Hamilton, site of last year's Grey Cup, on Sunday night. CBS Sports Network has this game in the States.

Toronto gets to rest after last week's home win over BC.

CBS Sports Network

Saturday
Calgary @ BC, 7p
Sunday
Saskatchewan @ Hamilton, 7p

TSN

Thursday
Winnipeg @ Ottawa, 7:30p
Friday
Montréal @ Edmonton, 9p
Saturday
Calgary @ BC, 7p
Sunday
Saskatchewan @ Hamilton, 7p

Bye week: Toronto

🤯 That was fast! We see you B.C!

The Upper Bowl is NOW OPEN! 🔥

Tickets are flyin' for our Concert Kickoff on June 15! Be there when @50Cent hits the stage on @SaveOnFoods Field at @BCPlace.

🎟️ DON'T MISS OUT! https://t.co/6qwQe8b0op#BCLions #RoarLikeNeverBefore pic.twitter.com/IxavQOkNpm

— BC LIONS (@BCLions) May 27, 2024

The BC Lions under owner Amar Doman brought in One Republic (2022) and drew 34,000 and LL Cool J (2023) and drew 33,000. All numbers according to Farhan Lalji. 50 Cent gets the honours this year of being the concert act for the Lions home opener.

The crowd should be much larger from what we heard, a likely sellout.

Opening up the upper bowl has been rare for the Lions and Vancouver FC Whitecaps in MLS. Your humble narrator has sat up in the upper bowl and you get a beautiful view of the whole field up there. A comfortable place to see a game and a concert.

The 4 pm local start can give you a game, concert (3 pm PDT), and plenty of time for a lovely meal in downtown Vancouver.

Kate Beirness and the CFL on TSN panel will be live in Vancouver on Saturday.

US Viewers 🇺🇸: Due to today's previous kickoff time change, the game will be available on CBS SN on tape delay at the originally scheduled time of 7PM ET 📺

Alternatively, the game remains live on CFL+ at 4PM ET: https://t.co/JPskxCyjIf 💻 https://t.co/MWP3cK5TFm

— CFL (@CFL) June 8, 2024

The promos were out that CBS Sports Network would carry the Roughriders-Elks game, presumably live at 4 pm Eastern. We didn't find out until after kickoff that the game would air tape delayed in its original time slot. The bowling fans are thrilled that the bowling content aired in its original time slot.

The game got on the air, which is the important thing. Letting us know this on Thursday or even Friday would have helped.

Games on CBS Sports Network are not normally on CFL+ so the league recognised the need to make the game available live.

The U.S. audience missed the Lions-Argonauts open and kickoff on Sunday for … live bowling. Yes, live bowling was the reason why the U.S. outlet kept the Saturday slot. Let's hope this is an exception as the season goes along.

2024 CFL Week 1 preview: Opening week

Montréal had a chip on its shoulder having to open in Winnipeg despite winning the Grey Cup. Winnipeg was out of sync on offence though the Alouettes defence has its reasons why that happened.

The Als stay out west in Edmonton this week. This means more home cooking later in the season for the defending Grey Cup champs. Montréal also had a significant advantage on turnovers.

Was fun to see Chris Streveler back in a Blue Bombers uniform though he didn't attempt a single pass. Easier to defend if you only think Streveler is going to run. Kenny Lawler's fractured arm will be a problem for the Blue Bombers.

Bo Levi Mitchell got a hero's welcome in Calgary on Friday night. The Stampeders want to be a whole lot better and played a really good home game. Mitchell went 27-for-38 for 300 yards with a touchdown and an interception. The Tiger-Cats struggled on offence with 7 points and no touchdowns through the first 3 quarters. even if they made the game look closer than it was.

Calgary has had problems closing out drives, though Rene Paredes picks up the team; he was a perfect 6-6 on field goals. The 2024 version of the Stampeders has a winning record, which Calgary did not have in 2023.

The problem later this summer might be fire and smoke but in Calgary, the game went on despite a water shortage.

No other pro league uses chipped footballs in the kicking game and every CFL kicker voted against these footballs. This has a negative impact on the integrity of the game and is a very sad for the league to disregard this issue @cfl @cflp https://t.co/2BHEA7NLsq

— Lewis Ward (@LewyWard17) June 7, 2024

The league quickly responded that kickers did not have to use chipped balls in games. Kickers usually go along and watching so many of them unite meant they were likely right. Older readers should know these are electronic chips and not like damaged balls.

2024 CFL preview

Shawn Bane Jr. had a hat trick with 3 TD passes from Trevor Harris to lead Saskatchewan past Edmonton. The Roughriders were down 21-8 with about 12 minutes left in the 4th quarter. The Elks had 3 turnovers and a missed FG by Boris Bede in that stretch. Saskatchewan scored the final 21 points of the game.

Both teams have numerous discipline penalties. The worst of them was Saskatchewan offensive lineman Logan Ferland throwing and landing a punch and getting ejected.

The BC Lions might still win the 2024 Grey Cup, especially if they don't have to play in Toronto. BC looked great in the first half but the Toronto defence made life very unpleasant for Vernon Adams Jr. Trading field goals in the second half wasn't fun to watch yet the Argos rose to the occasion.

The Argos last home loss was the final regular season game in 2022. BC hasn't won in Toronto since 2019.

What was missing last year and we get this year: The Argonauts will play in Vancouver on September 13.

2024 CFL preseason schedule

CanadianCrossing.com CFL coverage

Rod Smith and Glen Suitor with John Lu were in Winnipeg for opening night on Thursday. Dustin Nielson and Glen Suitor saw Bo Levi Mitchell in Calgary on Friday night with Brit Dort on the sidelines at McMahon Stadium.

Nielson and Suitor likely drove up to Edmonton blasting country music for the afternoon contest on Saturday, meeting up with Tom Gazzola. Suitor pulled a "Sara Orlesky" when Orlesky worked the first 3 games of the 2022 CFL season.

Rod Smith and Duane Forde with Paul LaPolice saw the BC Lions in Toronto on Sunday night. LaPolice learned some new skills since Matthew Scianitti and his East pals were covering other sports. Kate Beirness missed the weekend and Milt Stegall missed Sunday night.

Matt Dunigan was in Edmonton as part of the Elks' 75th anniversary celebration. Farhan Lalji stayed east and hosted the CFL on TSN panel with Henoc Muamba and Jim Barker in the studio early in the week. The panel only had 3 on Sunday: Lalji, Davis Sanchez, and Dunigan.

logo credit: CFL
Twitter captures: @BCLions; @CFL; @LewyWard17

2024 CFL Week 1 preview: Opening week

The 2024 CFL season returns to tradition with a Grey Cup rematch on Opening Night. The Grey Cup champion Montréal Alouettes travel to the newly christened Princess Auto Stadium (the old IG Field) to take on the West Division champion Winnipeg Blue Bombers.

The Thursday game will also run on CBS Sports Network using the TSN feed.

A balanced schedule (yay) is also a return to tradition with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in Calgary on Friday night. Bo Levi Mitchell back at McMahon Stadium couldn't have happened last season — even if Mitchell had stayed healthy — since the Tiger-Cats weren't scheduled to play in Calgary.

Ironically, this is the only game not shown on U.S. TV in Week 1.

The green battle starts out early on Saturday night as Saskatchewan, with its new running back AJ Ouellette, travels to Edmonton, where Ouellette's former Toronto teammate McLeod Bethel-Thompson makes his Elks debut.

William Stanback makes his BC Lions debut as the team travels to Toronto for Sunday night in a battle of playoff division finals losers. Both weekend games run on the CBS Sports Network.

Ottawa has a new quarterback in Dru Brown yet will rest until next week to start the RedBlacks season.

CBS Sports Network

Thursday
Montréal @ Winnipeg, 8:30p
Saturday
Saskatchewan @ Edmonton, 7p (tape delayed)
Sunday
BC @ Toronto, 7p

TSN

Thursday
Montréal @ Winnipeg, 8:30p
Friday
Hamilton @ Calgary, 9p
Saturday
Saskatchewan @ Edmonton, 4p
Sunday
BC @ Toronto, 7p

Bye week: Ottawa

The Elks home opener would have run opposite Game 1 of the NHL Stanley Cup final featuring the Edmonton Oilers. Though the NHL team will be nowhere near Edmonton, the conflict would have been frustrating.

Reminded us of the CFL-NHL conflict in Winnipeg in December 2021. The Maple Leafs were scheduled to play the Jets in downtown Winnipeg on December 5 at 6 pm local time. The NHL moved up the game by an hour; the CFL moved the start of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers West Division final from 3:30 pm CST to 3 pm CST. That was unofficially the Sara Orlesky doubleheader.

The CFL game was scheduled for 5 pm MDT and now will be at 2 pm MDT. The NHL game is at 6 pm MDT.

At press time, CBS Sports Network hasn't acknowledged the time shift so we don't know if the U.S. outlet will carry the game. CBS Sports Network is slow to update information. We will update this story as needed.

Editor's note: CBS Sports Network will show the Elks game at 7 pm EDT tape-delayed in the original time slot. Would have been more fun to know this sooner.

2024 Stanley Cup notebook: Edmonton plays Florida for the Stanley Cup

2021 CFL division finals preview

The CFL on CTV (a fun phrase) is 7 exclusive Saturday afternoon CFL contests at 3 pm Eastern. This is every Saturday in September and October (not October 5). If you saw a 4 pm Eastern game on a Saturday afternoon, the time of the game will move up an hour and be on CTV, not TSN.

CTV and TSN will carry the East semifinal, East final, and the Grey Cup in Vancouver.

You never quite know who you might find available after roster cuts. The Saskatchewan Roughriders took advantage and signed 2022 CFL All-Star defensive back Marcus Sayles. The BC Lions released Sayles after their final preseason game.

Sayles had spent the last 3 seasons with the Lions and 2 previous seasons with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.

Some backup quarterback news: Saskatchewan went with Shea Patterson and rookie Jack Coan behind Trevor Harris. The Saskatchewan Roughriders released quarterbacks Mason Fine and Antonio Pipkin as well as Canadian receiver Brayden Lenius.

Dakota Prukop left Winnipeg for BC and then the Lions released Prukop in the preseason. Edmonton signed Prukop to be the 3rd quarterback for the Elks.

BC had a minor signing late in camp of defensive lineman Demetrius Taylor. His brief career with the other Lions, the Detroit Lions, was not meaningful except for a 1-year suspension by the NFL for betting on games during his rookie year. The NFL did reinstate Taylor and no team in the league signed him.

Given the whole Shawn Lemon betting allegations scenario, this looks bad with slightly different circumstances. The CFL has historically been seen as a place American players with troubles can go play. Ricky Williams and Johnny Manziel leap to mind. Manziel's recent comments about voluntarily exiting the CFL are likely accurate and mostly sad. If you don't know much about his brief time in the CFL, you can find (above video) his unbelievable terrible debut for Montréal against the team that signed him, the Hamilton Tiger-Cats.

These are some of the best calls made by @nielsonTSN1260. #CFL pic.twitter.com/q0grlEGXTJ

— CFL Fan (@CFLFan13) May 30, 2024

Found this collection of Dustin Nielson CFL on TSN calls. The Taylor Cornelius left-handed throwing interception (What is he doing?) is a classic in part due to Nielson's reaction. If you need to get hyped up for another CFL season, the video could put you in a cool mood.

Early in the 2023 CFL season, Bell Media jerked Nielson around after ditching TSN 1260 in Edmonton. Nielson's day job at the time (as the morning host). There were significant gaps where Nielson was missing after the radio format change. Glad to see that eventually rectified.

For those who are fresh to the experience, all games not on the CBS Sports Network in the United States are on CFL+. The 48-hour tape-delay system definitely makes for a better experience.

We will weigh in more on this as the season progresses.

Asking American CFL players to pour a cup of milk🥛

“It’s milk in a sandwich bag” 🤣
pic.twitter.com/se74JnvGDI

— Made In Canada (@MadelnCanada) June 1, 2024

I could watch videos all day consisting of Americans trying to figure out bagged milk. This looks like the Toronto Argonauts training camp. A lot of Americans come to Canada to improve their football career and learn some cultural differences, well, at least in Ontario.

2024 CFL preview

There are no starting Canadian quarterbacks in the CFL at the start of the season. The days of Nathan Rourke and Tre Ford as starters seem to be gone. No one signed Michael O'Connor, despite the many QB injuries in 2023.

Rourke is in the NFL and Ford is the primary backup to Edmonton starter McLeod Bethel-Thompson.

2024 CFL preseason schedule

Jonas Brothers is the halftime act for the Grey Cup in Vancouver. They won't have to freeze unlike other halftime acts at the Grey Cup. Surprised we know this so early in the process.

CanadianCrossing.com CFL coverage

Rod Smith and Duane Forde matched up with Farhan Lalji in Ottawa in the preseason game on May 31. Dustin Nielson and Glen Suitor were out west with CFL on TSN newcomer Shantelle Chand on May 31 in Vancouver. We will do our best to get this information during the season.

logos credit: CFL
Twitter capture: @CFLFan13
video credit: ESPN/CFL

2024 CFL preview

The Montréal Alouettes thwarted the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in that team's attempt at 3 Grey Cups in 4 seasons. The Alouettes had the second longest streak without a Grey Cup, winning the first title since 2010. Hamilton is waiting to win the Grey Cup for the first time in the 21st century; the wait extends back to 1999.

The CFL finally came to its senses and reinstated the balanced schedule. No more 4 Toronto-Hamilton games on the CFL schedule. Saturday playoff games are back once again, though the Grey Cup is on Sunday.

The BC Lions now have the second longest streak without a Grey Cup, dating back to 2011 when the Lions won on home soil. Turns out the 2024 Grey Cup will be at BC Place in Vancouver.

Feels like a lot of upheaval in the CFL off-season so let's go to the highlights:

Chad Kelly has been suspended for the 2024 pre-season and a minimum of nine further games by the CFL after an independent investigation into allegations against the Toronto Argonauts quarterback: https://t.co/dc3gaTvD5F

— CFL on TSN (@CFLonTSN) May 7, 2024

Quarterbacks

Ottawa upgraded the quarterback position by trading for the rights to quarterback Dru Brown from Winnipeg. The RedBlacks then signed Brown to a deal. Ottawa sent a 5th-round selection in the 2024 CFL Draft to the Blue Bombers.

McLeod Bethel-Thompson jumped from the CFL to the USFL to be closer to home. Now Bethel-Thompson is back up north, this time with Edmonton. Tre Ford is now the backup quarterback. The Edmonton Elks released quarterback Taylor Cornelius. The Elks game in Toronto will be more significant as a result.

Hopefully Toronto understood that the Argos would have to get on without Chad Kelly with the CFL completed its investigation. Cameron Dukes is the lead internal contender. The preseason and 9 regular season games suspension for Chad Kelly are a minimum with specific criteria for possible reinstatement into the league. More on this further down in our Miscellaneous section.

The Argos also signed Nick Arbuckle. The quarterback started out well with Calgary but has struggled since then.

Chris Streveler is back in Winnipeg and the CFL after 3 seasons in the NFL. The Blue Bombers had a backup opening with the loss of Brown to Ottawa.

QB Matt Shiltz, who had been in Hamilton, is now in Calgary.

Dane Evans, who had been the backup to Vernon Adams Jr. in Vancouver, has retired from football at the age of 30. His replacement with the Lions will be Jake Dolegala, who had been with Saskatchewan.

Coaches

The Saskatchewan Roughriders went outside the organisation and went young to hire Corey Mace, 37, as the new head coach. Mace won a Grey Cup as the defensive line coach with Calgary in 2018 and as defensive coordinator with Toronto in 2022. Mace's offensive coordinator in Saskatchewan is Regina native and former University of Regina Rams quarterback Marc Mueller, Mueller is 3 years younger than veteran quarterback Trevor Harris.

Former NFL and CFL punter Jon Ryan weighed in on his concern over the next Roughriders coach. Fortunately for Mace, Ryan approves of his hiring.

You might have thought Scott Milanovich would eventually be the head coach in Hamilton. The Tiger-Cats restructured its management structure with now former head coach Orlondo Steinauer focusing on the president of football operations role. Ed Hervey is the new general manager.

Milanovich replaced Tommy Condell as offensive coordinator. Ottawa hired Condell as its new offensive coordinator. Condell replaced Khari Jones.

The Winnipeg Blue Bombers felt like the team needed to keep defensive backs coach Jordan Younger on the coaching staff. Younger is the new defensive coordinator, replacing Richie Hall, who will have an undefined assistant role.

"You just know there's gonna come a time where, if you don't make a move, you're gonna lose him (Younger) and I didn't want to get to that point," Winnipeg coach Mike O'Shea told the media via videoconference. "It's not an easy decision, obviously. You're talking about two guys that I have long-standing relationships with and value a lot, so to be able to have both on our staff was certainly what the aim was but you can't really guarantee that. I'm just so excited that Richie agreed to stay on."

Calgary and Saskatchewan had been a battle between the Dickenson brothers Dave (Calgary) and Craig (Saskatchewan). Dave hired Craig as a consultant with the coaching staff. Saskatchewan fired Craig Dickenson as head coach.

Key moves

Running backs on the move: AJ Ouellette from Toronto to Saskatchewan and William Stanback from Montréal to BC Lions.

The Toronto Argonauts signed former Calgary running back Ka'Deem Carey and former Winnipeg wide receiver Rasheed Bailey. Kurleigh Gittens Jr. went from Toronto to Edmonton in a trade.

Ottawa signed veteran wide receiver Dominique Rhymes after the Lions released him.

Calgary agreed to terms with all-star defensive back Demerio Houston while Ottawa signed American strong-side linebacker Adarius Pickett. Edmonton signed kicker Boris Bede. Toronto released Bede after signing Canadian kicker Lirim Hajrullahu.

Montréal released former returner Chandler Worthy. The Toronto Argos signed returner Janarion Grant. Hamilton brought back wide receiver Steven Dunbar Jr., who had been with Edmonton last year and started his CFL career with the Tiger-Cats in 2021.

You can catch up on free agent signings.

Victoria here we come! ⛴️

This season the @CFL Touchdown Series is making its way to Vancouver Island where we will host the @REDBLACKS at the Royal Athletic Park in Victoria, BC🏟️

MORE INFORMATION ➡️ https://t.co/MePBaO00Da#BCLIONS #RoarLikeNeverBefore pic.twitter.com/CcibhcKfRY

— BC LIONS (@BCLions) November 29, 2023

Touchdown Atlantic has shifted to Touchdown Pacific in Victoria. The BC Lions host Ottawa on Saturday, August 31 as part of the Labour Day Weekend at Royal Athletic Park. The stadium is about 2 km away from the water's edge in downtown Victoria. You do move uphill away from downtown but not nearly as steep as Halifax or St. John's.

Defections

Canadian defensive lineman Mathieu Betts, the CFL's most outstanding defensive player, jumped from the BC Lions to the Detroit Lions of the NFL. Montréal Alouettes receiver Austin Mack signed with the NFL Atlanta Falcons. The Las Vegas Raiders signed Tyreik McAllister after an outstanding year with Hamilton.

Retirements

Shawn Lemon has had an offseason to forget and remember. Lemon sat out waiting for a team to call him to play in 2023. Montréal finally said "oui" and got a Grey Cup championship as a result.

Lemon retires, which seemed to make sense. After the retirement, the CFL indefinitely suspended Lemon for betting on league games, including one the league says he played in. The league said an investigation showed Lemon bet on games in 2021 while with Calgary.

Then Lemon files an appeal and is practicing with the Alouettes. Lemon has played for Saskatchewan, Edmonton, Toronto, Calgary, Ottawa, BC, and Montreal in his career.

The allegation is significant as Jontay Porter found out from the NBA. Lemon is a good player yet should not be playing if he is guilty.

Canadian offensive lineman Chris Van Zeyl hit 40 and decided to hang up the spikes after 15 seasons. Van Zeyl finished up in Hamilton but had played for Toronto.

Defensive end Charleston Hughes, 40, is now retired. Hughes played for Saskatchewan in 2022 but didn't suit up in 2023.

Long time Winnipeg Blue Bombers defensive end Jackson Jeffcoat also retired.

Emmanuel "Manny" Arceneaux retired as a long-time wide receiver with BC, Saskatchewan, and Edmonton. Arceneaux finished his CFL career with 9,277 receiving yards, 645 receptions, and 58 touchdowns.

Simoni Lawrence retired from the CFL and is staying in Hamilton as a brand and community ambassador with the Hamilton Sports Group.

Canadian linebacker Hénoc Muamba is now a former CFL player. The 35-year-old was with Winnipeg, Saskatchewan, Montreal, and Toronto. Muamba has been working on The Waggle podcast from the CFL with Donnovan Bennett and will likely be filling in on the CFL on TSN panel.

Veteran linebacker Larry Dean is done after 8 years in the CFL. Dean is now Saskatchewan's new player personnel coordinator in football operations.

We missed a few retired CFL players and you can catch up on those players.

Miscellaneous

The Winnipeg relatively new football stadium has been around long enough to get a second sponsorship. The original name was Investors Group Field, shortened to IG Field. Now that facility is known as Princess Auto Stadium. The stadium will host the 2025 Grey Cup.

Dave Thomas replaces Michael Ball as the play by play voice of the Saskatchewan Roughriders. Ball had called games for the last 2 seasons, taking over for Derek Taylor when he went to call the Winnipeg Blue Bombers on radio.

The Saskatchewan Roughriders released defensive back Nic Marshall after the player had been arrested on a gun possession charge in Columbus, Georgia.

The Edmonton Elks no longer need to worry about the CFL football operations cap in terms of money owed to former coaches or personnel executives.

As for the Chad Kelly suspension, the league notes that "Mr. Kelly will be required to undergo confidential assessments by an independent expert and attend mandatory counselling sessions conducted by a gender-based violence expert. Both the counselling sessions and the assessments must be satisfactorily completed before the CFL will consider Mr. Kelly’s reinstatement. If he is unable to satisfactorily complete those sessions and assessments, the CFL reserves the right to modify his discipline."

The coach's lawsuit against Kelly and the Argos was settled this week through mediation. 

The fact that the Toronto Argonauts fired the coach in question is disturbing. We will follow this story as it progresses.

Providing free access to more games than ever before. 💻

Introducing CFL+ and CFL Preseason Live!

LEARN MORE » https://t.co/zEJBgsGqqk#CFL pic.twitter.com/TF5hwx0VRn

— CFL (@CFL) May 19, 2023

The major drawback to CFL+ was being very live: no way to jump back and create a replay and no way to watch the game if you missed it for a wedding or a funeral. This year, CFL+ has playback capability up to 48 hours after the game. This can be helpful in watching the last 3 minutes of an exciting game. 

The Canadian side has TSN and RDS while the American side has CBS Sports Network. The CBS Sports Network once again carries 34 CFL games for the U.S. cable audience, same as last year.

The new deal puts an emphasis on special games, such as the season opener tomorrow night in Winnipeg, Labour Day weekend games in Regina, Hamilton, and Calgary, as well as the Thanksgiving game in Montréal. The U.S. TV network will NOT carry Touchdown Pacific from Victoria. The U.S. TV schedule leaves out a lot of games in the fall as has every other U.S. TV schedule.

ESPN2 and ESPNews had 20 games in 2022. The stickler is no playoff games, especially the Grey Cup.

The CFL has had 8-minute wrapup videos for games you may have missed. The CFL app is still missing.

TSN keeps the same broadcast crews: Rod Smith and Dustin Nielson with Marshall Ferguson on play by play. Duane Forde and Glen Suitor with Matt Dunigan provide colour analysis. Farhan Lalji will call a few games, likely in Vancouver.

The CFL sideline reporters are as follows:

Matthew Scianitti (Toronto, Hamilton); Claire Hanna (Ottawa); Kenzie Lalonde (Montréal); John Lu (Winnipeg); Brit Dort (Regina); Ryan Rishaug (Edmonton, Calgary); and Farhan Lalji (Vancouver). Blake Price fills in for Lalji when the latter is on play by play.

The CFL on TSN panel is led by host Kate Beirness with Matt Dunigan, Davis Sanchez, and Milt Stegall with supplemental help from former CFL head coaches Jim Barker and Paul LaPolice as well as newly retired Henoc Muamba. Dave Naylor and Lalji will report CFL news.

The surprising news is that CTV will have exclusive CFL games at 3 pm Eastern on Saturday afternoons beginning September 7. There are implications that CTV will be more involved leading up to the Grey Cup.

On the radio side, the BC Lions are returning to 980 CKNW, the station that broadcasted Lions games from 1988-2003. The team had been on CKGO (730 AM), an all-traffic station. Corus owns both radio stations. Bob ‘The Moj’ Marjanovich and Giulio Caravatta are back for their 8th season.

The CFL on CTV (a fun phrase) is 7 exclusive Saturday afternoon CFL contests at 3 pm Eastern. This is every Saturday in September and October except for October 5. If you saw a 4 pm Eastern game on a Saturday afternoon, the time of the game will move up an hour and be on CTV, not TSN.

CTV and TSN will carry the East semifinal, East final, and the Grey Cup in Vancouver.

We doubt Canadians can stream those games on CTV.ca but that will be a good question in September.

Dutchy was a HUGE part of the rise of the CFL on TSN.

When TSN started getting more traction and has more games, Dutchy as a CFL Live! host brought energy and excitement to the broadcasts.

His appearances live at Grey Cup weeks were always a highlight.

We miss you. pic.twitter.com/NZubep7D2G

— CFL Super Late News ● (@CFLLATENEWS) May 16, 2024

Darren Dutchyshen was more a part of the CFL on TSN coverage than I was aware. I remember seeing him as part of the 2022 Grey Cup in Regina (he was from Saskatchewan). Booming voice and a great personality. Very much missed. If you believe in such a thing, you can imagine Dutch and Chris Schultz talking Canadian football.

2024 CFL preseason schedule

CanadianCrossing.com CFL coverage

The 2024 Grey Cup will be at BC Place in Vancouver while Winnipeg will host the 2025 Grey Cup.

Montréal has gone the longest without hosting the Grey Cup. The last Grey Cup in La Belle Province was in 2008 at Olympic Stadium. The structure hosted the Grey Cup 6 times in 1977, 1979, 1981, 1985, 2001, and 2008.

The only other Montréal structures to host the Grey Cup were the Autostade (1969) and the Alouettes current stadium, Percival Molson Memorial Stadium (1931).

Montreal makes it 8 in winning the 2023 Grey Cup

2024 CFL preseason schedule

CanadianCrossing.com CFL coverage

Our weekly previews start tomorrow.

Twitter captures: @CFLonTSN; @CFLLateNews
logo and photo credit: CFL

2024 Stanley Cup notebook: Edmonton plays Florida for the Stanley Cup

CONNOR MCDAVID OPENS THE SCORING IN GAME 6! 🔥 pic.twitter.com/mDrCZxIeK4

— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) June 3, 2024

The Edmonton Oilers got a pair of power play goals in both Game 5 and Game 6 to help give the team the Western Conference (aka Campbell Conference) title with a 4-2 series win over the Dallas Stars.

Edmonton won the final 3 games of the series.

The Oilers will play the Florida Panthers for the Stanley Cup. That series starts on Saturday in the Sunshine state.

Edmonton went 0-2 against Florida in the regular season.

November 20 @ Florida 5, Edmonton 3
December 16 Florida 5, @ Edmonton 1

The teams have never met in the Stanley Cup playoffs.

This is Edmonton’s first appearance in a Stanley Cup final since 2006 and wanting its first Cup since 1990.

2024 Stanley Cup notebook: Edmonton defeats Vancouver in Game 7

Edmonton is 2-1 in overtime games in the NHL playoffs this spring. The Oilers lost to Los Angeles (Game 2), beat Vancouver (Game 2), and won in double OT (Dallas).

The Oilers only had 10 shots in Game 6, the all-time record low for a winning team in a conference finals clincher.

Mattias Janmark got the only shorthand goal for the Oilers in Game 4 as Edmonton erased a 2-0 deficit. The comeback shifted the momentum to Oil Country.

Ryan Nugent-Hopkins scored 2 straight goals to start Game 5, both on the power play. two goals.

Zach Hyman scored his playoff-leading 14th goal. Evan Bouchard had a pair of assists and now has 20 assists for the Oilers.

Connor McDavid now has 26 assists, tying him with Wayne Gretzky (1983) for most assists in a playoff year by Edmonton. McDavid trails Gretzky with 31 (1988), 30 (1985), and 29 (1987).

Leon Draisaitl may not be as loud with his play but still has 10 goals and 18 assists.

Stuart Skinner has been rock solid since gaining the starting position once again. Skinner is now 4-0 in series clinching games.

The Oilers went 14-for-14 on the penalty kill against Dallas, 28-for-28 in the playoffs over the last 10 games. 

THE CAPTAIN SECURES GAME 1 FOR OIL COUNTRY! 🤩

Connor McDavid scores to secure the @SUBWAYCanada OT winner in Dallas. pic.twitter.com/vgPCtH4bYy

— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) May 24, 2024

2024 Stanley Cup notebook: Vancouver plays Edmonton in the second round

2024 NHL Stanley Cup playoffs preview for Canadian teams

Chris Tanev was a thorn in the side of the Oilers for Dallas. Matthew Tkachuk will likely be a thorn in the side of the Oilers in the Stanley Cup final. They know a lot about Edmonton having played them while with the Calgary Flames as part of the Battle of Alberta.

2024 NHL Stanley Cup playoffs scoreboard

There is a video floating out there on the Internet that features an Edmonton Oilers female fan celebrating by lifting her shirt. We are about body positivity and a reminder that Canada is more relaxed about topless female nudity than in the United States.

.@Jackie_Redmond explains the origins of Edmonton's famous Moss Pit 🙌 pic.twitter.com/MfjyLVGaPg

— NHLonTNT (@NHL_On_TNT) May 28, 2024

As Leah Hextall (ESPN) had to explain the Winnipeg Whiteout to the U.S. audience, Jackie Redmond (TNT) explained the Edmonton Moss Pit to the U.S. audience.

TNT is done with NHL coverage for the season. Sean McDonough, Ray Ferraro, and Emily Kaplan will have the ABC coverage, also available on ESPN+.

Chris Cuthbert and Craig Simpson will work with Kyle Bukauskas on CBC and Rogers Sportsnet.

The Edmonton Oilers went 2-0 in the last round when not on CBC. The public broadcaster carried the Canadian Screen Awards (Friday) and original unscripted programming (Sunday). CBC will have all 7 (potential) games.

Edmonton is 1-0 on ABC after defeating Dallas 4-3 (OT) in Texas on February 17.

“There’s nothing more I’d like to see than us hoisting the trophy here in this city.”

Hear from Scott Arniel in his first interview with @saraorlesky as head coach of the Winnipeg Jets! pic.twitter.com/U1MPiA4d6g

— Winnipeg Jets (@NHLJets) May 27, 2024

Scott Arniel was a head coach in Columbus and mostly recently, an assistant coach in Winnipeg. Arniel seems like a good pick to be the new head coach of the Winnipeg Jets. Arniel has a good background with the Jets and Manitoba Moose in his career.

Rick Bowness retired as the head coach earlier in the off-season.

Bob Cole, the legend from The Rock, has died at the age of 90

Rogers Sportsnet extended a radio deal with the Calgary Flames to keep the team on Sportsnet 960.

PWHL sets another new attendance record for women's hockey

Minnesota downed Boston 3-0 in Game 5 to take the inaugural championship of the Professional Women's Hockey League.

CanadianCrossing.com NHL coverage

The Edmonton Oilers have the second shortest drought of those Canadian NHL teams that have won the Stanley Cup at 34 years. The Montréal Canadiens were the last Canadian team to reach the Stanley Cup final in 2021 and has the shortest drought at 31 years.

Twitter captures: @Sportsnet (x2); @NHL_On_TNT; @NHLJets
photo credit: Rogers Sportsnet/NHL 

2024 Stanley Cup notebook: Edmonton defeats Vancouver in Game 7

The Edmonton Oilers, down 3-2 in the second round to the Vancouver Canucks, turned on the jets (not the Winnipeg Jets) and roared to a Game 7 win at Rogers Arena. The Oilers had a 3-0 lead in the 3rd period. Vancouver put together 2 quick goals in the 3rd period yet ran out of time for the game-tying goal.

The Oilers take the Smythe (Pacific) Division crown and face the Norris (Central) Division winner Dallas Stars. Game 1 starts in Dallas on Thursday night.

THE GAME WINNER FROM EVAN BOUCHARD 🤯@EdmontonOilers | #LetsGoOilers | #StanleyCup pic.twitter.com/4Co4EwubAv

— NHL Network (@NHLNetwork) May 15, 2024

Edmonton went 1-2 against Dallas in the regular season.

November 2 Dallas 4, @ Edmonton 3
February 17 Edmonton 4, @ Dallas 3 (OT)
April 3 @ Dallas 5, @ Edmonton 0

Edmonton is 2-6 in playoff history with the Dallas franchise, including 1-1 in Minnesota. The Oilers won 4-0 in the conference final in 1984 over the North Stars and lost in the 1991 conference finals 4-1.

The Oilers won 4-3 in the first round in 1997 and lost 4-1 to Dallas in the second round in 1998. Edmonton lost 4 straight series to the Stars in the first round in the playoffs: 1999 (0), 2000 (1), 2001 (2), and 2003 (2).

J.T. THRILLER‼️ pic.twitter.com/omJMOkranQ

— Vancouver Canucks (@Canucks) May 17, 2024

The Vancouver Canucks likely would not have won Game 7 even with Brock Boeser, who missed Game 7 due to blood clotting issues. Health is more important than hockey and we hope strongly for a full recovery for Boeser.

The careful, defensive intensive Canucks squad struggled to score in the final 2 games of the series.

2024 NHL Stanley Cup playoffs scoreboard

The team scoring the first goal of the game went 3-4 in the series. 6 of the 7 games were decided by a goal with only Game 6 as the exception.

Game 1: Vancouver scored 4 goals over the final 23 minutes to erase a 4-1 deficit. They scored 3 times in 5 minutes in the 3rd period before Edmonton even managed a shot on net.

Game 2: The infamous non-call of Connor McDavid high-sticking Quinn Hughes, drawing blood, and the referees were like, "nah." Terrible missed calls all around yet this felt like the Kelly Sutherland experience once again.

Game 3: Brock Boeser seemingly had a hat trick (had one in Game 4 in Nashville) but a goal was switched. Boeser and Elias Lindholm each had 2 goals. Calvin Pickard came into the game to start the 3rd period for the Edmonton Oilers, a fact that the U.S. audience eventually learned. Carson Soucy (1-game suspension) and Nikita Zadorov ($5000 fine) after vicious cross checks on Connor McDavid after the buzzer.

Game 4: Calvin Pickard starts in goal for Edmonton. The Oilers lose the lead with a Dakota Joshua goal at 18:19 of the 3rd period. Evan Bouchard slammed home the winner with 39 seconds left in the 3rd period.

Game 5: Vancouver had its own late game excitement with a J.T. Miller goal off Elias Pettersson's skate in the final minute.

Game 6: Edmonton exploded for the only multi-goal margin of victory in the series.

Game 7: The Oilers dominated until 2 quick Canucks goals made things close. Edmonton hangs on for the series win.

Nothing but respect, @EdmontonOilers 🤝 pic.twitter.com/mVQdVmA84l

— Vancouver Canucks (@Canucks) May 21, 2024

2024 Stanley Cup notebook: Vancouver plays Edmonton in the second round

'Tis rare to have an all-Canadian NHL Stanley Cup playoffs matchup beyond the first round in the last 30 years:

2024 Vancouver/Edmonton (2nd round)
2022 Calgary/Edmonton (2nd round)
2021 Montréal/Winnipeg (2nd round)
2002 Toronto/Ottawa (conference semis)
1994 Vancouver/Toronto (conference final)

ESPN ran this graphic in Game 1 where Cassie Campbell-Pascall described the difference between Vancouver and Edmonton in terms of provinces (British Columbia and Alberta) and time zones. Not sure too many Americans could have done this.

TNT ran the same graphic in Game 2. Rare yet this is the 3rd time in the last 4 years.

2024 NHL Stanley Cup playoffs preview for Canadian teams

Bob Cole, the legend from The Rock, has died at the age of 90

PWHL sets another new attendance record for women's hockey

We thought the idea of Turner aka WBD (TNT and TBS) using below average announcers for 2 games in the first round and not putting them on Canadian soil was a horrible move.

WBD (Warners Bros. Discovery) upped the ante with better announcers, still from the other side of the border. The company pulled the same trick for an all-Canadian matchup in the second round. Alex Faust and Jennifer Botterill had great potential yet the company put them in Atlanta. Yes, they could manage to get Botterill from Toronto to Atlanta but not to Vancouver or Edmonton.

You could tell that the announcers missed crucial points because they couldn't see beyond monitors in a studio, thousands of miles away from the game. The most egregious moment was Botterill interrupting her own train of thought to tell the audience that Calvin Pickard had replaced Stuart Skinner in the Edmonton goal. This announcement came at the 17:10 mark remaining in the 3rd period.

John Forslund and Eddie Olczyk did go live for Game 5. Forslund and Olczyk have experience calling a game in Edmonton from the United States, aka the 2023 Heritage Classic from an U.S.-based studio.

You could chalk this up to saving money (WBD is really huge and rich) but they are only doing this with games in Canada. They travel to Raleigh and Dallas. ESPN may be behind their own curve but the crews do show up in person.

This isn't about the announcers. They are following orders from management. Announcers want to call games on site.

ABC was scheduled to carry a NHL game on Saturday night: the NY Rangers series for Game 7 was the likely choice. That series ended in 6 games. That meant ABC would carry an all-Canadian game on a Saturday night. Except there was maneuvering behind the scenes so that ABC ended up with a NBA playoff game and ESPN got the hockey game. This is how paranoid the U.S. TV people are. A chance to show Connor McDavid in prime time and ABC panicked.

ESPN decided to bring their "best." Well, 5th best likely in John Buccigross to call Games 6 and 7. Ray Ferraro got to provide colour analysis for Game 7. Edmonton fans would point out that Ferraro called some Canucks games for Rogers Sportsnet. I would counter that Ferraro is a pro and his analysis was sharp and down the middle.

Rogers Sportsnet carried U.S. national feeds for games they didn't produce. They showed crews that were on site. TNT and TBS has our consent to show Sportsnet feeds for games in Canada.

Ending this on a slightly better note, the Vancouver Canucks radio crew had been trapped in Vancouver for the first round with Nashville. The good news is they got to go to Edmonton for the second round. These things matter.

We had said in past times that "Games on CBC can be streamed in Canada via cbcsports.ca." This was true until recently when Rogers disallowed any streaming of playoff games through a CBC portal. Intriguing that the CBC help page notes that Sportsnet+ is the place to stream the games in Canada.

CBC reaches as far as any network in Canada yet some areas of Canada benefit from being able to watch shows online. This feels a little mean to do 10 years into a 12-year contract where the CBC doesn't even get full value of the 6 promos in each game in exchange for getting $0 for running Hockey Night in Canada from Rogers.

This may only apply to playoff games. We will have to see in October if this move covers regular season games.

Canadians and Americans drawing the CBC via cable or satellite aren't affected by this decision.

NHL Network, TNT, and ESPN/ESPN+ games in 2024 season analysis

NHL notebook: Wrapping up the end of the 2024 regular season

ESPN had first choice for a conference final and picked the one that didn't feature the Canadian team. TNT will have the Campbell (Western) Conference final with Kenny Albert, Eddie Olczyk, and Brian Boucher along with Jackie Redmond. Presumably, the announcers will be on site for the entire series, though TNT is the one that hasn't been sending announcers to Canada.

Chris Cuthbert, Craig Simpson, and Kyle Bukauskas will have the Campbell (Western) Conference final on Rogers Sportsnet as well as CBC (Games 1-4, 7). John Bartlett, Garry Galley, and Shawn Mckenzie will cover the East final.

CBC is not carrying Game 5 because of the Canadian Screen Awards. Blame — if you need an outlet — rests with the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television for the delay. Game 6 is on a Sunday night where the CBC prefers to run fresh, reality TV programming.

We won't be updating CBC games at this point since the public broadcaster will have all the Wales (Eastern) Conference final games and the Stanley Cup final games. ABC will have the Stanley Cup finals in the United States.

2023 WIFF Canadian films in review

2023 Windsor International Film Festival preview

We do have to skip some films during the Windsor International Film Festival over conflicts and sometimes, sanity. I'm Just Here for the Riot is a documentary on the aftermath after the Vancouver Canucks lost the Stanley Cup final in 2011. The film ran during the festival yet I knew the film would eventually get a U.S. airing.

ESPN will carry the documentary on June 4 at 7:30 pm Eastern Time (4:30 pm on the West Coast). The film will also be available for ESPN+ subscribers. We will definitely run a review of the film.

I get the feeling that the reason we haven't seen an outdoor crowd watching the Vancouver Canucks games ties back to what happened in 2011. That isn't about the fans as much as forces who won't take the chance on the fans. People volunteering to clean up is a part of the reality in 2011, reportedly in the documentary. Rogers Arena hosts viewing parties during the playoffs, a sharp contrast to what we saw in Toronto, Winnipeg, and Edmonton this spring.

If the officiating had been remotely fair — nothing close to reality — the Canucks would have won the Stanley Cup and the reaction would have been more joyous. Then we might have had a different kind of documentary.

If you are looking for a companion film to highlight Vancouver sports, we recommend reading our Canadian film review on The Grizzlie Truth and the loss of the NBA Vancouver Grizzlies.

We should note Handle With Care: The Legend of the Notic Streetball Crew, a documentary about the Canadian streetball collective in Vancouver. Our collective memory is that the film played at the 2022 Windsor International Film Festival and we couldn't fit that into our schedule. That film is out there for rent.

Thank you, Leafs Nation 💙✌️ pic.twitter.com/WN4iXJZjjE

— Sheldon Keefe (@SheldonKeefe) May 9, 2024

3 of the 7 Canadian teams will have new coaches before the start of the season in the fall. Toronto quickly signed Craig Berube, who had been a contender for the Ottawa gig. The Senators filled its opening with former Vancouver coach Travis Green. Rick Bowness retired from coaching after his last stop in Winnipeg. If Joseph Woll could have played Game 7, Keefe might still have a job??

NHL the month in preview December 2023

The NHL draft lottery remains the same as it ever was. The 3 Canadian teams stayed in their positions: Montréal (5), Ottawa (7), and Calgary (9). The 2024 NHL draft is June 28-29 in Gary Bettman's favourite desert town.

Ottawa announced the team will keep its 1st-round draft pick, knowing the Senators will have to surrender the top pick in either 2025 or 2026. This stems from the nonsensical ruling noted that Ottawa should be punished for not telling Las Vegas about the no-trade clause after Las Vegas, which had the contract and rights to Evgeni Dadonov, tried to trade him to Anaheim.

We should give an award to the best Canadian NHL team each season

Congratulations to the Edmonton Oilers. This is the 3rd year in a row where the Oilers are Canada's most successful team for the season. They won't accept the trophy just yet since there is more hockey to play.

CanadianCrossing.com NHL coverage

Boston and Minnesota are playing in the Walter Cup Final in the inaugural PWHL playoffs. Minnesota defeated Toronto, the top seed in the regular season, in 5 games. Boston, the 3 seed, swept Montréal, the 2 seed, in 3 games though they all went to overtime.

photo credits: NHL; CBC
Twitter captures: @NHLNetwork; @Canucks (x2); @SheldonKeefe

2024 Stanley Cup notebook: Vancouver plays Edmonton in the second round

This team.#AllTogether. All In. pic.twitter.com/JBYPXO0WpT

— Vancouver Canucks (@Canucks) May 4, 2024

Edmonton beat Los Angeles for the 3rd straight year in the opening round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. The Oilers won in 7 (2022), 6 (2023), and now 5 (2024).

Edmonton was 9-20 on the power play while Los Angeles went 0-12, not factoring in 2 goals in Game 5 just after the power play expired. The Oilers depth showed up in the opening round and Edmonton will need that through the spring.

The Oilers had lost 10 straight Game 1s in a series before winning Game 1 against Los Angeles.

The only thing more shocking than the Canucks comeback win is that Sportsnet took this long to give John Shorthouse a playoff series to call. His energy and keeping his breath is just masterful: pic.twitter.com/X3OU3yzPOZ

— Logan (@CanuckSkate) April 29, 2024

Vancouver's amazing comeback in Nashville for Game 4, featuring Brock Boeser with a natural hat trick. The U.S. announcers downplayed this rather remarkable effort. The Canucks won Game 3 with only 12 shots on goal.

The Canucks have had a bizarre pattern of injured goalies in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Thatcher Demko (2024) was the latest, being week to week. Demko joins Jacob Markstrom (2020), Ryan Miller (2015), and Cory Schneider (2013) on an atypical list.

Demko, Casey DeSmith (Games 2-4), and Arturs Silovs (Games 5-6) were the starters in the opening round. The image of JT Miller wearing Nikita Zadorov's unusual dress shirt in practice was the spark this team needed to win the series over Nashvillle in 6 games.

The Winnipeg Jets were known for their crafty defence, the kind of play suited for playoff hockey. Winnipeg gave up 6 goals in the Jets only win of the series against Colorado. They were without Cole Perfetti for the first 4 games and lost Brenden Dillon after Game 3.

While the Jets allowed 5 or more goals in every game, Winnipeg allowed 5 or more goals just 7 times in the regular season.

"You're probably not going to believe when I say I was playing some of the best hockey of my career, but that's truly how I was feeling," goaltender Connor Hellebuyck said on Thursday.

Regular season is not the playoffs but difficult to see a team go 3-0 in the regular season and 1-4 in the playoffs. Winnipeg is the only modern Canadian team to never get to a Stanley Cup final.

Winnipeg will be looking for a new coach since Rick Bowness announced his retirement today.

Goals through 3 games of 2024 playoffs:

Zach Hyman - 6
Maple Leafs - 6

— luke fox (@lukefoxjukebox) April 27, 2024

The Leafs finished 2nd in scoring in the regular season…but did not score more than 3 goals in any game this series.

They haven’t scored more than 3 in 14 straight playoff games. Scoring 2 or fewer in 13 of those 14. #PlayoffHockey

— Tim Micallef (@tim_micallef) May 5, 2024

The pressure of a Game 7 that goes to overtime is that fate is tied into a random goal. William Nylander missed the first 3 games with bad migraines while Auston Matthews struggled physically at the end of the series.

The Maple Leafs were 1-for-15 on the power play in the first 4 games when Toronto went down 3-1. The team snapped a 6-game home playoff losing streak in Game 6. Close, but close does not count.

Scoring more goals in the playoffs would have meant the series didn't need to go 7. Having balanced referee work would have meant the series definitely would have been over before 7.

Last season was perhaps a fluke with an actual first-round series win in the last 8 years of making the playoffs.

2024 NHL Stanley Cup playoffs scoreboard

2024 NHL Stanley Cup playoffs preview for Canadian teams

For the first time since the Battle of Alberta in the 2022 playoffs, there is an all-Canadian matchup in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. The top 2 seeds in the "Smythe" Division meet in the second round.

Edmonton and Vancouver have played each other twice in the NHL playoffs. The Oilers swept the Canucks 3-0 in the Smythe Division semifinals in 1986 and won the Smythe Division finals 4-2 in 1992.

Vancouver went 4-0 against Edmonton in the regular season.

October 11 @ Vancouver 8, Edmonton 1
October 14 Vancouver 4, @ Edmonton 3
November 6 @ Vancouver 6, Edmonton 2
April 13 Vancouver 3, @ Edmonton 1

Rogers Sportsnet has a preview of this second round series. Thatcher Demko could return for Vancouver in this series. All we ask is that the winner of this series win the Stanley Cup.

The winner of this series will play the Colorado-Dallas winner for the Campbell/Western Conference title. The winning team will automatically win our award for the best Canadian NHL team of 2023-2024.

AJ Mlezcko, whom we genuinely like, worked Game 1 in Vancouver. Mlezcko kept referring to Dakota Joshua as "Dakota Johnson." She got reassigned to the Winnipeg series with John Buccigross, her regular ESPN partner. Mistakes happen but when ESPN covered its first Vancouver home game (and second overall) in the final days of this regular season, you might need more practice to cover the Vancouver Canucks in the postseason.

This is not on John Buccigross but his bosses put him on a Winnipeg-Bristol (CT)-Winnipeg travel schedule. This meant Buccigross didn't spend much time in Winnipeg. ESPN has never covered a regular season game in the modern contract from the Manitoba capital. Would have been good will for ESPN to keep someone from Game 1 in Winnipeg around for Game 2.

Cassie Campbell-Pascall covered Game 1 in Winnipeg before switching to Vancouver for Game 2 with Mike Monaco, her typical ESPN partner. Glad to see Campbell-Pascall on games in Canada.

Leah Hextall (above) was added for Game 2 in Winnipeg. Hextall told the original story of the Winnipeg Whiteout from 1987 while standing outside in the middle of the street crowd. She actually said an S-word that the NHL doesn't normally want people to say: Smythe. Hextall mentioned the Smythe Division. The NHL (Gary Bettman) frowned on the historical names for the divisions, so we mention them whenever possible.

Hextall noted in the report that she is a "proud Manitobian." Even if she was on Game 2 just for that, good on ESPN. Come up to Manitoba during the regular season. Still a great hockey city.

The Adam Lowry goal wasn't called that way in Game 1 in Winnipeg. Let's see how the coverage went down. Garry Galley got the Adam Lowry goal correct from the start and with confidence. Galley and John Bartlett have great chemistry and Bartlett let him go wild with the explanation. On ESPN, Buccigross was clear that he didn't think the goal went into the net. Cassie Campbell-Pascall was hesitant, perhaps not wanting to get in his way. Dave Jackson, the rules guy, wasn't terribly helpful but had doubts on whether the goal was good.

They didn't give a mea culpa after the referees announced a good goal. Good on Galley to know right away what was happening.

For the second time during this year’s Stanley Cup Playoffs, Steve Mears and Colby Armstrong are calling tonight’s Predators-Canucks game from the studio in Atlanta.

Previously, the pair called Game 2 of the Kings-Oilers in the studio as well.

— Braylon Breeze | NHL Zone (@Zone_NHL) May 1, 2024

Turner (TNT/TBS) filled its lineup with retreads from other teams, which is why the San Jose announcers called the Oilers series in Los Angeles. The Turner curveball was Pittsburgh announcers for Game 2 in Edmonton. Colby Armstrong is better in the studio than on game coverage but is enthusiastic and could teach Brian Boucher a few things. Steve Mears, who was demoted from TV to radio in Pittsburgh this past season, is more boring than toasted Wonder bread. To paraphrase Donald Sutherland (Canadian) in Animal House, even Mrs. Mears found him boring.

As if that wasn't bad enough, Mears and Armstrong weren't even in Edmonton or Canada. More like Atlanta.

Meaghan Mikkelson, who finished her first season as the colour analyst on Calgary Flames radio, served as the on-ice reporter on TBS live from Edmonton. Here is hoping Turner uses Mikkelson more, especially on Canadian soil.

Turner repeated this pattern for Game 5 in Vancouver with Mears and Armstrong not in Canada with a Canadian (Nabil Karim) at Rogers Arena. Turner is only doing this for games in Canada. Their travel expenses are cheaper in Canada because of the exchange rate yet they only pull these shenanigans in Canada.

Rick Ball and John Garrett would have been perfect for Game 2 in Edmonton and Game 5 in Vancouver.

John Forslund and Eddie Olczyk worked with Shane Hnidy for Game 3 in Denver yet Brian Boucher (boo) was there in place of Hnidy for Game 4. Steve Mears was utilized as a ice-level reporter. What the bleep?

Turns out this was more about logistics since Forslund and Olczyk were covering another series and barely made it to Denver for the start. The idea of Mears and Boucher as the backups is worse than a lot of actual nightmares.

Why did Shane Hnidy, who was at the same place where Forslund and Olczyk were, not come back to Denver? Flights from Denver to Las Vegas have to be fairly frequent. Hnidy used to cover the Jets for TSN3 though that feels like a long time ago.

NBC had a better backup plan in 2018 with Gord Miller going from Tampa via Chicago to St. Paul for Game 3 of the Winnipeg series. That was a trip for the record books. For those who often hate Twitter, Miller's tweets that day made for a travel log that Rick Steves would have endorsed. The fact that Joe Micheletti didn't get there until just about tip off adds to that story. Pat Micheletti, brother of Joe, was the backup plan and stayed to be part of the broadcast.

ESPN and TNT: this was one of the best teams the U.S. has used in a NHL playoff game.

Game 7 for the Maple Leafs was the second game on ABC in the current contract. Citytv sim subbed the ABC feed on Saturday.

Daily Hive in Vancouver reported that the Canucks didn't have a traveling radio team in the opening round. Hope that changes for this round.

Wasn't too long ago when there was speculation that TSN might want the Calgary Flames rights. Well, Rogers Sportsnet wants to be a long-term partner. Sportsnet just renewed those rights to 2035; the rights for Sportsnet goes back to 1998.

Bob Cole, the legend from The Rock, has died at the age of 90

PWHL sets another new attendance record for women's hockey

Here is the CBC schedule for the Canadians and those in the States with a CBC feed. This schedule will be updated as needed in the second round.

Chris Cuthbert and Craig Simpson (Scott Oake) cover the Vancouver-Edmonton series. Expect them to cover the Western final.

John Bartlett and Garry Galley (Kyle Bukauskas) handle the Florida-Boston series. Harnarayan Singh and Louie DeBrusk (Shawn McKenzie) call the New York Rangers-Carolina series. These crews likely apply only to games on CBC, since those games have to be produced. Sportsnet almost certainly will carry U.S. national feeds for the other games as well as the Colorado-Dallas series.

Playoff games on CBC no longer are streamed in Canada via cbcsports.ca.

May 6 Boston @ Florida, 8p
May 7 Carolina @ NY Rangers, 7p
May 8 Boston @ Florida, 7:30p
May 8 Edmonton @ Vancouver, 10p
May 9 NY Rangers @ Carolina, 7p
May 10 Florida @ Boston, 7p
May 10 Edmonton @ Vancouver, 10p
May 11 NY Rangers @ Carolina, 7p
May 13 Carolina @ NY Rangers, 7p
May 14 Boston @ Florida, 7p
May 14 Vancouver @ Edmonton, 9:30p
May 16 NY Rangers @ Carolina, 7p
May 16 Edmonton @ Vancouver, 10p
May 17 Florida @ Boston, 7p
May 18 Vancouver @ Edmonton, 8p
May 20 Edmonton @ Vancouver, 9p

U.S. viewers in Detroit, Buffalo, Seattle, and other markets get a great option, even for select U.S. games.

NHL Network, TNT, and ESPN/ESPN+ games in 2024 season analysis

NHL notebook: Wrapping up the end of the 2024 regular season

May 8 Edmonton @ Vancouver, 10p Mike Monaco/Cassie Campbell-Pascall ESPN
May 10 Edmonton @ Vancouver, 10p Alex Faust/Jennifer Botterill/Nabil Karim TNT
May 12 Vancouver @ Edmonton, 9:30p Alex Faust/Jennifer Botterill/Nabil Karim TBS
May 14 Vancouver @ Edmonton, 9:30p Mike Monaco/Kevin Weekes ESPN
May 16 Edmonton @ Vancouver, 10p John Forslund/Eddie Olczyk/Nabil Karim TNT
May 18 Vancouver @ Edmonton, 8p John Buccigross/Kevin Weekes/Leah Hextall ESPN
May 20 Edmonton @ Vancouver, 9p John Buccigross/Ray Ferraro/Leah Hextall ESPN

Canadian TV notebook: Run the Burbs done after 3 seasons

We noted that CBC likely chose not to carry Sunday NHL games because of new programming with Race Against the Tide and Canada's Ultimate Challenge. The CBC promos don't mean as much without a lot of new programming and the public broadcaster makes zero money from Rogers for carrying the games.

This also means Game 3 of the Vancouver-Edmonton will NOT air on CBC.

CanadianCrossing.com NHL coverage

We will add CBC telecasts and U.S. crews for the Vancouver-Edmonton series later. We will update this story through the second round.

Twitter captures: @Canucks, @CanuckSkate, @lukefoxjukebox, @tim_micallef, @Zone_NHL
photo credit: ESPN/NHL